Best New Artists 2021

In 2020 I listened to 15,000 songs from up-and-coming artists of every genre around the world. These are the ones that came on top.

*Article originally posted on 17 December 2020

As a music marketer interested in data and artist development, at the start of 2020 I decided to come up with a list of up-and-coming artists that had long-lasting potential. But how can you value this?

There are several a&r (discovery) tools available to music companies, but they either focus on local markets where it’s easier to extrapolate data, or on pure growth metrics. These can go from an increase in plays on streaming services to the number of new followers on Instagram. All this information isn’t usually enough to predict long-lasting success, so the next step is to also take into account the data from a variety of music curators on different platforms, like Spotify curators, traditional tastemakers(print and online media) or social media influencers like TikTok creators, as they are quite relevant in terms of putting a light on new music.

Once this data is cross-referenced and narrowed down, we have to take into account other more subjective elements like the narrative of each artist; their craftsmanship; the consistency of the quality of their different tracks; the quality of their visual assets; the number and impact of their press appearances; their social engagement; and their network.

This year we couldn’t take into account the number of tickets sales as there haven’t been a lot of opportunities for new artists to perform in 2020. Luckily this hasn’t stopped them from working hard and experimenting with new sounds and ideas during their time at home. 2021 will hopefully be the time where we’ll discover and enjoy music from more new artists than ever, with batches from 2019, 2020 and 2021 ready to perform live.

Taking all the above into account, I narrowed the list down to the following 14 performers. From Australian-Lebanese Azure Ryder to Sudanese-Canadian Mustafa or Ghanaian-American Amaarae. All these artists represent a wide range of cultures and voices. Watch them in action below.

Amaarae

JUMPING SHIP ft Kojey Radical & Cruel Santino

Amaarae is a multifaceted singer, songwriter and producer and one of the most promising emerging artists of R&B.

It’s not easy to establish yourself as a new artist while creating a very unique long-term path, but Amaarae, born in New York from Ghanaian parents is becoming one of the most prominent voices in West Africa.

She released her first EP ‘Passionfuit Summers’ in late 2017 to critics’ praise, and was named one of Apple Music Africa Favourite New Artists last year.

Fans say: “Feels like a fresh haircut on a Saturday on your way to a cookout”

Fans also like: NAO, Mahalia

Azure Ryder

Petty Isn’t Pretty

Azure Ryder grew up in a coastal town in Australia and found herself connecting strongly with her surroundings. You can hear her love for nature and what it can teach us in her songs.

In the last two years, she has gone from doing triple j radio in Australia to being played on BBC Radio 1 in the UK, but her soothing and warm voice and the mastery of her storytelling shows that she could also work her magic all the way in Nashville.

Fans say: “Natural talent. Her warm melodious voice sounds so easy and unforced.”

Fans also like: Gabrielle Aplin, Stevie Nicks, Maggie Rogers

DEAR-GOD

Slamdance

Loved by tastemakers Fantano, Zane Lowe, and Spotify’s Head of Rock Allison Hagendorf, DEAR-GOD is a Hardcore Punk/Hip Hop artist from Canada.

DEAR-GOD has already toured with Dirty Nil and is building his cred in the rock community though he could feel at ease in the Hip Hop scene too, having already opened for Wu-Tang Clan at Toronto’s MattyFest.

Fans say: “With his music sounding like an 80’s hardcore, punk metal, nu-metal, rap-metal, Korn, Limp Bizkit love child, I do not know how this kid isn’t bigger yet”

Fans also like: Anthrax, Wargasm, Beastie Boys

DORA

Ojos de Serpiente

16-year-old DORA has been experimenting with different sounds for two years. In this time she has made no mistake with her releases despite their variety.

DORA sings both in Spanish and English and fuses pop and electronic music masterfully, even experimenting with Caribbean sounds in a few of her songs.

It’s difficult to find such a young artist not scared about innovating and showing such maturity in her songwriting.

Fans say: “If she releases this at 16, I can’t imagine what she could do later in her career”

Fans also like: Kali Uchis, Girl Ultra

ENNY

Peng Black Girls

Recently signed by Jorja Smith’s label FAMM, ENNY has the potential to be one of the leading female voices of the UK’s rap scene.

In these turbulent times, it’s especially important to have artists that explore issues the world needs to hear more about. ENNY is an excellent storyteller and her smooth voice is surely landing her a prominent position in the music industry.

Fans say: “This is a masterpiece. The lyrics, the ladies, the representation. Everything. I actually cried”

Fans also like: IAMDDB, Pip Millet

glaive

Clover

glaive (Ash Gutierrez) as many teenagers, just started making music in his room this year at the beginning of lockdown. He has spent the last months releasing impressive track after track, inspired by other bedroom artists that like him, grew up on the internet.

Already lauded as the future of hyperpop, his influences go from SoundCloud underground rap to glitch-hop which has landed him a spot on Interscope’s roster within the likes of Billie Eilish and Yungblud.

Fans say: “The EP songs are all hits, you’re up next for sure”

Fans also like: 100gecs, Charli XCX

JUGGER

Bad Guy

With tracks produced by the extraordinary Wondagurl (Travis Scott, SZA,Drake, Kanye West), rapper JUGGER is one of the most promising rising stars in the Trap/rap scene.

In a very short span of time, JUGGER has created a lot of buzz for himself in his native Canada, and is now on track to completely blowing up.

His high-energy vocals and terrific beat productions are definitely taking him places once live comes back, as his energetic tracks are what mosh pitters’ dreams are made of.

Fans say: We are witnessing the early days of a legend. His flow and cadence are so unique it’s amazing. His production, crisp vocals, and creativity are unlike any upcoming artist.

Fans also like: Travis Scott, Don Toliver

Mustafa

Stay alive

Sudanese-Canadian poet-turned-singer Mustafa, started writing about black issues when he was in seventh grade. Since then he has become one of the most respected and relevant figures in the topic of social issues in his country and has received praise by fellow Canadians Drake, The Weeknd and even Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Mustafa released his first solo track, ‘Stay Alive’ produced by Frank Dukes and James Blake in March 2020 and ‘Air Forces’ produced by Frank Dukes and Jamie XX in September. With such big names behind him, the only way is up.

Fans say: “This is one of the most beautiful things I have seen out of Toronto. Deep tune for every young black person from U.K, Canada to U.S.A the struggle is real”

Fans also like: BERWYN, James Blake, George The Poet

Priya Ragu

Good Love 2.0

Tamil-Swiss musician Priya Ragu’s heritage comes through in her exciting tracks. Her spirituality fused with her R&B vocals and electronic music influences create a spectacular mix of East and West.

After many years working on her music, her time has finally come. Priya’s 2020 debut single ‘Good Love 2.0’ produced by her brother and music partner Japhna Gold has been included in this year’s FIFA soundtrack and has quickly become a fan-favourite. After the recent rise in popularity of African and Latin music, we can’t think of a better artist representing the new sound of Southeast Asia worldwide.

Fans say: “Great music, fusion cant get better than this, lovely pitch, perfect beats, perfect frequency. What a song! This is the fusion of all times!!!!”

Fans also like: Hope Tala, Snoh Aalegra

Raissa

Crowded

Inspired by legends such as Bowie, Prince and Lady Gaga, Raissa is an artist pushing pop’s creative boundaries musically and visually.

Though Raissa is now based in London, she was raised in Australia and Asia and their cultures have greatly influenced her aesthetic and music videos (she is a big fan of film directors Wong Kar Wai and Miyazaki).

Raissa has got a lot of love in 2020 and recently signed to Mark Ronson’s Zelig Records, an imprint of Columbia. She also teamed up with him on ‘I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight’ a cover of Richard and Linda Thompson’s 1974 song.

Fans say: “These last few songs are just the beginning…imagine what’s to come! I cross my fingers the right people find this angel and give her all of the support she needs to spread her talent!”

Fans also like: Lady Gaga, Lauv

Santino Le Saint

118

Santino Le Saint fuses R&B, Hip Hop and Rock like no other artist in South London. The way Santino effortlessly interweaves all these genres shows how musically talented he is. His versatility denotes universal appeal, sitting at the intersection of James Blake, Ozzy Osbourne and The Weeknd.

Santino is also a model and the founder of art collective Cloud X. In a nutshell, an artist that takes a multi-disciplinary approach to his projects in an age where the definition of an artist has been blurred.

Fans say: “I lost my last hope to be with somebody. This man stuck a knife to my heart that’s why I’m listening to this song, to soothe my pain”

Fans also like: The Weeknd, Daniel Caesar

Tora

Vein

Tora’s first track only dates back to March, but she has already made her mark for her innovative style of R&B-soul.

Tora’s writing ability is outstanding. Her top-notch storytelling, vivid imagery, and smooth melodies are just the foundation she builds on. Her vocals are equally phenomenal as are her music videos.

The combination of Tora’s artistic quality and uniqueness is just a sign of the promise of a great career.

Fans say: “I’m a guy who mostly listens to rock and metal, FFS. But Tora is amazing, her voice and music will attract fans of all genres”

Fans also like: Banks, Jorja Smith

Wesley Joseph

Ghostin’

UK artist Wesley Joseph, was one of the members of the OG Horse collective which also featured Jorja Smith. Nowadays he is working on his debut solo project after releasing three remarkable tracks in 2020.

As an all-round artist, Wesley, who studied film in London, has written and produced his songs along with directing his own music videos.

There is no doubt Wesley is already in the same creative league as other contemporary R&B and Hip Hop heavyweights.

Fans say: “He is so good i’m in love with the visuals!!!!! the content, the lyrics, the concept?!!!! everything about this is so so good… have no choice BUT to Stan”

Fans also like: Knucks, Loyle Carner

Yard Act

Fixer Upper

Yard Act seem to have struck creative gold in 2020. The three tracks they have released are some of the best rock songs of the year.

Their lyrics are witty and poignant, tales of today’s issues over catchy melodies and powerful guitars.

Yard Act are the perfect northern raconteurs, telling stories of growth but also of struggles, conveying solace as well as sympathy, a representation of our tumultuous times. A band more than suited to make their mark on UK’s history of rock.

Fans say: “This is why I religiously listen to radio 6 to experience these utterly stunning, unique masterpieces- pure genius, song of the year for me (and I’m a metal fan!!!’)”

Fans also like: Foals, The Snuts, The Blinders

Listen to the New Artists 2020 playlist on Spotify

Listen to the New Artists 2021 playlist on Spotify

*Next Up: How are artists discovered in 2021?; A&R tools used to discover artists in 2021.